Dirty Little Secret
by Viva la Rasta
Summary: What do the male members of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai all have in common with each other? [InoCentric] » oneshot


**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Summary: **What do the male members of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai all have in common with each other? Yamanaka Ino, apparently.

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**D**irty _**L**ittle_ **S**ecret

**Yamanaka Ino was Nara Shikamaru's dirty little secret.**

To Shikamaru, Ino was just a crazy, troublesome girl, whereas Ino believed her precious 'Shika-kun' was a lazy genius that needed to get out more. Whenever he was around her, the word '_Mendokuse_' was often said more than once. However, despite the fact the two had been teammates since their genin years, and the fact both their fathers were the best of friends, the chemistry between them was undeniable. Often, both were caught smiling at each other by their friends, but the small grins were disregarded as 'friendly gestures'. If these smiles were to be questioned, both teenagers would deny anything thrown at them, so most everyone in Konoha was completely oblivious. Although, when the two would meet up at Shikamaru's favorite cloud-watching spot, there was no denying the fact that they would laugh with each other, point out some odd-shaped clouds, and reminisce on missions they tackled, back in their younger years. The pair also would be unable to deny the fact that _while _they sat there, staring up at the sky, their fingers would be intertwined and legs would brush against each other more than once.

**Yamanaka Ino was Akimichi Chouji's dirty little secret.**

Ah, yes; another teammate she had been acquainted with for many years now. The gluttonous Chouji thought Ino _could_ be a nice girl, had she stopped making fun of people- mainly him. He didn't have enough toes or fingers to count the times she had called him a '_fatass_', or made a reference to his weight. Ino, completely oblivious the feelings her words caused the Akimichi boy, saw Chouji as a good friend. After all, that's what good friends do, right? Joke around with each other, share a bag of chips, and even stop by each other's houses to ask for company to the local barbeque? Well, Chouji would never admit it, but having a 'nice' female friend wasn't all it was cracked up to be- which is why he put up with Ino's occasional comments; I mean, it's not like she never apologized, right? Although, sometimes he wished she _didn't_, because after the Sasuke Retrieval mission, Ino had never looked at him with more love and appreciation as she did now, and that was damn good enough to make pent up tears fall freely down his face whenever they talked about it while having one of their 'nice friend moments', away from everything else.

**Yamanaka Ino was Inuzuka Kiba's dirty little secret.**

Kiba never liked Ino- she was louder, and way more bossy than he, himself, was accused of being. Even though being annoying was not generally something to be proud of, the canine male did not like being shown up, especially by a blond with blue eyes- generally speaking, of course. Ino thought Kiba smelled like wet dog, and normally ignored him when and if he passed by on the street. Though, it was while on the way home for a mission when Akamaru hopped out of Kiba's coat and ran off in the direction of a flower field. Annoyed, Kiba had then excused himself from his team, only to chase after the pup and find him with the same girl he swore not to let get to him. However, upon seeing Akamaru's happy eyes and his nose being nuzzled by Ino's cheek, a foreign feeling filled his chest- and it was warm. Kiba would never admit to _accidentally _scaring his dog off in the direction of the blond-haired girl. He would never admit to _pretending_ to chase after Akamaru, only to bump into Ino, who already had the little pup nestled in her arms and a coy smile plastered on her face. But, most importantly, Kiba would absolutely _never_ admit to the same, warm feeling he'd get whenever he got a whiff of the air around her, as she would hand Akamaru and playfully whisper "Get a leash" before walking off and tossing that shiny hair of hers. Oh _gods_, he would never forget that smell.

**Yamanaka Ino was Aburame Shino's dirty little secret.**

Naturally, the flower attracts bugs, just like girls attract boys. Like flowers, it takes years for girls to blossom into the beautiful objects of life they were destined to be. Ino only knew Shino to be a mysterious boy that acted as host to thousands of insects, where as he could name a hundred facts right off the bat about the Yamanaka girl. For one, she was careful not to pick the flowers with harmless insects still living inside the petals. She would also purposely avoid stepping on ants when walking the streets of Konoha, and didn't scream when dragonflies landed on her shoulder. Shino, or the Aburame family in general, was not known to be very social or incredibly unpredictable, which is why people were shocked to see him enter the Yamanaka Flower Shop once or twice every week. He knew she had sensed him, every time he went in, but still he continued to stare at her behind shaded sunglasses, as she would shake her head amusedly. No eye contact was made, nor were words exchanged, as Ino would delicately escort a refugee beetle off the orchid she was currently pampering.

**Yamanaka Ino was Rock Lee's dirty **(but youthful)** little secret.**

Although Lee would never admit it, Ino had been currently beating him on the 'Scale of Youth'! More often than not, he'd find his nose pressed up against the Flower Shop's window, watching in awe as Ino would tend to the variety of colorful and healthy flowers. Ino thought Lee was incredibly funny, and upon seeing those bushy eyebrows smear against the crystal clear glass, she would smirk and pull out the infamous lotus flower, and watch as the Gai-sensei wannabe's face would light up a great deal more. The presence of the youthful flower would give him the courage to walk in the store and socialize with said-girl, and the two would end up talking for hours. (More like _Lee_ would do the talking, and she, the listening.) As always, the conversation consisted of Ino bursting out in laughter a couple of times, the smash of a flower pot due to a certain spandex posing passionately, and of course the wide grin on Lee's face as he walked out of the Flower Shop, holding the precious lotus close to his chest, which would eventually be a gift for Gai-sensei, Sakura, or Tenten.

**Yamanaka Ino was Hyuuga Neji's dirty little secret.**

Neji always thought Ino a weak shinobi. Sure, she was a decent kunoichi, but he would absolutely _never_ want to be stuck on a team with her, let alone go on the same _mission_. To Ino, Neji was just a cold-hearted statue that didn't like to deal with people whom he considered to be '_beneath him_'- which of course meant everyone else besides his family, Gai-sensei, Tsunade-sama and other Jounin. He absolutely _despised_ hearing anything that loud and obnoxious, let alone _her _voice. In fact, he would have never even thought about the wretched girl, had she not been training in his secret '_contemplating spot_' one brisk afternoon. He had kept enough distance away from the kunoichi that day, so she wouldn't have been able to sense his chakra. He can recall how he stood there and watched amusedly as she threw several kunai at the wooden target. It was because she was panting so heavily after such little work, he decided that Ino truly _was _pathetic. He watched as she wore herself out, kick after kick, kunai after kunai, and he was rather surprised to feel his head shaking disapprovingly. He watched through pupil-less white eyes as she fell to the ground, raising an eyebrow but nonetheless taking the opportunity to come out of hiding. Without saying a word, he had picked her up- despite the shock she was emanating -and began stalking off towards the city of Konoha. It was very rare for Neji to acknowledge anyone other than higher-ranked ninja, let alone physically touch, so you could only imagine how shocked Yamanaka Ino was, especially when she knew that the Hyuuga prodigy never really cared for _her_ in particular. The male ANBU member had made his decision while carrying her, and upon dropping a very dazed Ino at her doorstep, his stoic gaze returned before he turned to walk away. "Training. Tommorrow. Sunrise. Hyuuga Compound." Then, with a smirk: "Don't be late."

**Yamanaka Ino was Uzumaki Naruto's dirty little secret.**

Alright, so, they weren't the _best_ of friends, in fact, you really couldn't call them friends at all. Naruto aspired to be the next Hokage, and Ino...? Well, she'd be lucky just to make it to Jounin level. Often, Ino would comment on how annoying Naruto was and/or call him '_Baka_'. Naruto would most likely be found doing the same thing, minus the Baka part, because Sakura-chan said that it was rude to call any woman, crazy or not, stupid. The two had never really bonded much, due to the hectic schedules of being shinobi and all, until the one time they went on that one mission to cater to that large princess' whims. When they came back, it was already late, so most of the villagers were tucked in their cozy beds, fast asleep. But, of course, Ichiraku's was always open, especially for the brave ninja, and both blond shinobis couldn't deny their grumbling stomachs. Now, if you were to ask Naruto whether or not he had ever held a proper conversation with Yamanaka Ino, he'd probably scratch the back of his head with one hand, squint his eyes, all the while holding his other hand with the palm facing you, and say "No", because Ino is "Loud, self-centered, and bossy". However, if you were to ask Ichiraku, proud owner of the ramen stand, if Uzumaki Naruto and Ino had ever talked regularly, the old man would probably chuckle merrily and tell you "Yes", and also add that they would go there late every Saturday night, catching up on all those years they spent in ignorance of one another. Ino didn't care- after all, how else would she find more things to tease Haruno Sakura about, if not through information from one of the pink-haired girl's teammates?

**Yamanaka Ino was Uchiha Sasuke's dirty little secret.**

Though, sadly enough, Sasuke was **not** _her_ dirty little secret; keyword being '_secret_' and '_was_'. Yes, whenever the avenger was in her sight, Ino always made a point to greet him, whether it be a loving glomp, bright smile, or both combined, he would always be welcomed in _her_ eyes. To Ino, Sasuke was _King_, and she, his humble servant. Of course, that was _before_ he left to betray all of Konoha; before he left everyone, including her, behind. If you were to ask present-day Ino how she felt about the Uchiha, she'd probably glare daggers at you and rant on about how she would never forgive him for his act of treason. Though, if you were to look closely in between the rants, you'd probably see the faint glimmer of despair in her sky-blue eyes as she spoke, yearning for that heart-warming 'welcoming' feeling she willingly gave up to him when they were younger. Now, if by some miracle, you were to run into Sasuke, you could probably see the faint shine of regret in his black orbs, as well. Not that he would admit to actually _missing_ anyone back home, but there had been more than one occasion where he'd stop, only to admire all gold and purple lilacs and smirk to himself. The boy's strange behavior would baffle Orochimaru- whom the youngest Uchiha was traveling with at the moment -to no end, but the Sanin would just keep to himself. After all, he'd _never_ know what it felt like to have those frail arms wrapped around his upper body, followed by an annoyingly cute: "Hello Sasuke-kun!" So, Orochimaru would let Sasuke have his moment, speaking only after the younger boy would gently run his fingers over the lilac's gentle petals.

**Most importantly, Yamanaka Ino was her **_own_ **dirty little secret.**

Ino was a 'fad' girl; always had been, even growing up. Many of her kunoichi idols, such as Tsunade-sama, and Anko-senpai, all had that determined attitude that most kunoichi-in-training nearly tripped over themselves to obtain. Of course, being top female in her graduating class, Ino _had_ to be among the first of her group to take a stab at being a _bitch_; and to her surprise, she found it relatively easy. Though, it wasn't like she _didn't _want to be one- her father had called Tsunade-sama that word many times after she would assign him on many dangerous missions, so Ino figured she'd must have been doing _something_ right to keep up with the Hokage. She had been called other things besides '_bitch_', as well. _Self-centered, annoying, loud, obnoxious, pathetic_, and her favorite, _weak_. Though, blossoming at such a young age had granted her the ability to 'keep her cool' when being degraded in such a way. However, Ino would never admit that the words were like taboo, and she would _never_ describe how far she felt her heart sink every time she was ridiculed publicly. She _liked_ to think herself emotionally tough, like Tsunade-sama or Anko-senpai, she really would! Unfortunately, her feelings were about as strong as her taijutsu- and she wasn't known to be relatively _good_ in that field, either. No, Yamanaka Ino was her own dirty little secret in the way she fought against herself. She would tease when she secretly wanted to comfort, laugh when she wanted to cry, and smile when her heart shattered into a million pieces. Yes, although she would _never_ admit it out loud, Yamanaka Ino was her _own_ little problem.

**_And it was slowly killing her inside._**

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**A/N:** Good? Bad? Lemme know!

Yeah, in case you couldn't tell, this is my first Naruto fanfic. I hope I stayed 'in character' enough for your liking, and if I didn't, Gomensai. ; I hope I didn't make Ino look _too_ friendly, if you catch my drift. And once again, hopefully I didn't go too OOC. I'm not real good at doing series', so I think I'll stick to one-shots for now. ;D

Ja'ne!


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